The Agritubel rider - a silver medallist in the Under-23 world championships in 2006 - holds a 35-second advantage over Italy's Paolo Longo Borghini, with America's Will Frischkorn one minute and 42 seconds back in third place.

Longo Borghini and Frischkorn were the other two riders to join Dumoulin and Feillu in an early break in the first five kilometres after the race had left Saint-Malo.

It would have been great to win the stage too, but to hold the Tour de France yellow jersey is probably something which is even more difficult to achieve

Romain Feillu

The maximum lead they held was almost 15 minutes when the peloton was at the 64km mark but it appeared that they would be quickly reeled in.

But in a stage disrupted by a protest, horrendous weather and a crash that forced Spanish rider Angel Gomez to abandon the race, the quartet courageously hung on.

The peloton was split just after the crash that forced Gomez out but it was unclear whether that or the strong wind had contributed to around 50 riders breaking away.

It soon became clear that they would not be able to catch the front four, who fought out their own pulsating finish after just over five hours in the saddle.

Feillu had overtaken Dumoulin in the final few hundred metres but Dumoulin responded magnificently to edge back past his compatriot, who was also beaten into third by Frischkorn.

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"It is a dream come true," said the 27-year-old Dumoulin. "It is hours and hours of training, braving the rain, the cold, the heat. It took a lot of sacrifice."

"I just lacked a bit of strength to get the stage win," Feillu said. "But I got the leader's jersey.

"It would have been great to win the stage too, but to hold the Tour de France yellow jersey is probably something which is even more difficult to achieve.

"But it's good that another Frenchman won the stage. We discussed this possible outcome with Samuel and it worked."

Valverde and race favourite Cadel Evans were in the next group, along with Cavendish and Millar, but two of the Tour's other main contenders, Denis Menchov and Riccardo Ricco were further back and lost time.

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